Uncertain powers : Sen'yōmon-in and landownership by royal women in early medieval Japan / Sachiko Kawai.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kawai, Sachiko, author.

Series:

Harvard East Asian monographs ; 445.

Harvard East Asian monographs ; 445

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Women--Japan--History--To 1500.

Women.

Courts and courtiers--History--To 1500.

Courts and courtiers.

History.

Japan--History--1185-1600.

Japan.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xviii, 364 pages : illustrations (some color), maps (some color) ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

[Cambridge, Massachusetts] : Harvard University Asia Center, [2021]

Summary:

"Explores the important political and economic leadership roles of royal women in medieval Japan, questioning the traditional view of the era as one dominated by male retired monarchs and warrior government. These women, who held the title of premier royal lady (nyoin), owned extensive landed estates across Japan, and used their wealth and networks to build temples and to assert religious, cultural, and political influence"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Part I. The Nyoin title and royal women's roles at court

The emergence and evolution of the Nyoin institution

The busy religious life of Nyoin: funding Buddhist rituals and coordinating pilgrimages

Part II. Power and struggle: Sen'yōmon-in as a royal heiress

Death and inheritance-the sudden rise of Sen'yōmon-in

Layers of information-the list of Rokujō palace estates

Protecting a Nyoin household

Material goods from the estates and Sen'yōmon-in's influence

Sen'yōmon-in's seasonal festivities and religious ceremonies

Sen'yōmon-in's final years and the transfer of her estates

Part III. Comparative perspectives: Sen'yōmon-in, other Nyoin, and their male counterparts

Nyoin power-wielding strategies

Estate characteristics: location, industry, and historical significance.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Kawai, Sachiko. Uncertain powers

ISBN:

9780674260160

0674260163

OCLC:

1240772896